booze

1

7:42 am
1/xx/17

Her fingers twirled in the air as if conducting the morning hymn of the birds while her toes curled and uncurled in the countless layers of blankets messily sprawled at the end of her feet. She dug her elbows into the cushions of the couch pushing herself up. Eyes still blinking away the fog of sleep, she reached for a pair glasses perched atop the coffee table absently pushing the frame of the glasses up the bridge of her nose.

She hopped off the couch and began her careful trek across the sea of papers which had replaced the once glossy floorboards. Taking wary steps across the living room, she successfully made it across the expanse of scattered papers and littered books.

She skittered down the hallway, the sleety wooden floorboards sending chills up her spine. Upon sinking her feet into the carpet of her room did she inwardly yield a relieved sigh.

Another shiver shot up her spine as a sharp breeze threatened the tower of hair secured in a loose bun. Her movements quickened with another quiver as she shut the window closed, a gust of wind making her bun falter and finally topple down into long wavy strands of chestnut brown hair.

She grabbed the nearest sweater, pulled on a pair of sweatpants over her shorts and began picking out the pins left from her bun as she slipped on a pair of shoes. She grabbed a few crumpled dollars abandoned by her bedside table and jogged out her apartment.

Her pace slowed as she approached a traffic light, the little neon orange hand silently commanding she stay put unless she wanted to walk into oncoming traffic. Once the signal was clear, she jogged down the crosswalk towards the pharmacy across her apartment building.

She was greeted with the familiar jingle upon entering the pharmacy doors, its stagnant medicinal scent offering her a sense of genial comfort. She weaved through aisles of hair dye and makeup, rounding the corner past the bandaids and muscle relaxants to the shelves of alcohol.

She placed a finger over her lips as she scanned the different colored bottles of liquor, eventually settling on a hazy green bottle decorated with block labeling. She made her way down the end of the aisle straight into a set of shelves directly horizontal from the liquor section and grabbed the largest bag of chocolates. 

"Goodmorning Kaira." A voice rang in harmony with the item scanner.

Her eyes widened as they met a familiar pair of dark orbs and wide smile.

It was even brighter in morning daylight she thought to herself.

"I thought you only worked the night shift?"
She questioned, eyes still trained on his infectious smile.

"You hadn't dropped by these last few nights so I took care of the morning shift today. I was hoping I'd see you later in the day and here you are!" He exclaimed with a toothy grin.

"And here I am." She replied, her smile faltering as she recalled last night's train of events.

He handed her the bag of items and rang up the price for what she had purchased. She rummaged through her pockets and pulled out a handful of hairpins. She furrowed her brows as her hands scrambled to feel for the money she had grabbed in the morning.

"I could've sworn I grabbed money on my way out..." she mumbled to herself as she began to create a pile of pins on the counter.

"You know what, don't worry about it. Just promise me that you'll grab something a little more hearty the next time you stock up, got it?"  He bargained, collecting the pile of hairpins in his palm before handing them over along with her items.

She flashed him an apologetic smile and nodded, reluctantly taking the bag of liquor and chocolate.

"I won't promise you anything, but I'm trying."

"That's good enough for me!" He called out as she exited the pharmacy.

Her hair met with the wind once more as she stepped out of the pharmacy. She looked out into the street and recognized two balled up crinkled ten dollar bills tumbling through the wind. Cars sped past and knocked the money around like pinballs against their tires.

Without another thought, she turned on her heel and back into the pharmacy.

"Why don't you stop by my place during your lunch break. I've been studying a few cookbooks here and there and need someone to actually cook for." She offered with a stammer.

He froze behind the counter, too stunned to continue placing his own money into the register.

"I could also pay you back for today." She added with an almost pleading voice.

Their eyes met, both wide in equal shock.

He broke out into a smile and gave her a thumbs up. "My break is at noon."

"I'll see you then." She replied, out of breath from anticipation.

She ran out of the pharmacy past the money she had dropped and back to her apartment where a sea of papers waited to be reorganized.

"What have I done."

please know that I might not be able to update very frequently and may eventually just delete my acc. the only content I've been putting out recently are drafts I've had but never published, or work created out of spontaneity. thank you for those who still read my work !